Special lighthouses: Lindesnes - where Norway's oldest fire burns

Lindesnes is the southernmost point of the Norwegian mainland. Although the protruding cape was an important landmark for shipping along the coast of the already notorious Skagerrak, it was also a deadly danger. For this reason, a fire was lit here as early as 1656 - the oldest in the country.

Lindesnes: still manned

The station changed several times over the centuries, coal was replaced by paraffin, electrification took place in 1950, and the fire tower itself was also rebuilt several times, starting with a simple wooden structure and ending with today's white cast iron tower from 1915 with its first-order Fresnel lens in the red lantern house. Lindesnes fyr was automated in 2003 - but two lighthouse keepers still look after the facility today. Unique in Norway.

• Name: Lindesnes fyr, Norway
• Location: Skagerrak, North Sea
• Position: 57°58'56.4 "N 007°02'48.3 "E
• Tower height: 16.1 m
• Height of fire: 66.1 m
• Identifier: FFl W 20s

The beacon museum

The Lindesnes Lighthouse Museum (Lindesnes fyrmuseum) not only provides information about the long history, technology and life at the lighthouse station at the southernmost point of Norway, but also about the culture along the coast of Sørlandet, the southernmost part of the country. The lighthouse itself is open to visitors. The grounds offer magnificent views of the coast on both sides.

For guest sailors: two marinas

The Guest harbour of Båly is the best starting point for a rewarding excursion to the cape, which is around twelve kilometres away - by bus, for example. From the bus stop, even on foot, it is not far until the land ends and the horizon begins. It is also located at the western end of the 500 metre long Spangereid Canal, which was only opened in 2007.

This was blasted through the rock to create a protected alternative to the sea-side passage across the base of the peninsula - and to literally circumvent the problem of the often treacherous conditions off the cape. But only for small vehicles: the maximum depth is two metres, the clearance height four metres.